ABSTRACT
While perusing the Library of Congress image collection archives, I came across this fascinating photograph, probably taken in the 1930s, with this title: “Wife of a homesteader with her WPA (Work Projects Administration) music class. These children walk eight miles for their music lessons. Pie Town, New Mexico (photo 4.1).” This was the only information available on the library site about the content of the photo or the circumstances surrounding its creation. As I examined the picture, however, I wondered about those children, whose bare feet and worn clothing testified to the modest economic circumstances of their families. It must have been very important to their parents that they learn music. After all, it can’t be that easy to get a child to walk eight miles for a piano lesson. Also, the teacher was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal program that employed out-of-work citizens during the Great Depression. It testi-fies to the value that society placed on arts education during that time. Many Americans must have believed that even the poorest children should have access to the arts.
